KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When members of the Kansas City, Missouri, Board of Police Commissioners met for their monthly meeting Tuesday, they did so amidst allegations of mismanagement made by a former KCPD attorney.
Over the weekend, former assistant general counsel Ryan McCarty released a long letter detailing his opinion of shortcomings of top officials Interim Chief of Police Joseph Mabin and general counsel Holly Dodge.
He alleged Mabin was inexperienced and Dodge didn’t understand the law.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas addressed McCarty's allegations with reporters Tuesday. Police commissioners otherwise have not offered any comment on the claims.
“We are following standard practice in terms of making sure we do a full, thorough investigation," Lucas told reporters. "That is the sort of thing we will do. We will get answers back and hopefully report to the public that nothing is awry. That is my plan and hope.”
When asked if he believed there to be any wrongdoing, Lucas said he believes the investigation will not find any large wrongdoing.
“Perfection is always hard for any organization, let alone ones that are very large. But, I think that by and large you will see that rules are followed here,” Lucas said. “I think people are doing right by the people of Kansas City. I do think that is what we will be seeing ultimately but we are going to make sure so people can trust us that we go through all the work that you would expect, that we do in almost every other investigation this department will ever do.”
Both Mabin and Dodge were present during Tuesday's meeting.
As Dodge packed up her belongings, she had nothing to say during a slew of questions from reporters.
Mabin, who McCarty said should be terminated in his letter, offered a brief statement that was similar to what a KCPD spokesperson e-mail to the media on Saturday.
“Mr. McCarty was employed with us for 6 months. He’s no longer employed with the police department,” Mabin said when asked if the allegations were true.
The mayor says commissioners will task investigators that are part of the city's existing legal team to review the allegations.
Prior to Tuesday's meeting, McCarty distributed a letter to the press indicating he was hopeful of providing a statement during the BOPC meeting.
McCarty, as it turned out, made no such comments.
Instead, he released a second e-mail to the press Tuesday afternoon, saying he had been advised by his attorneys not to give public comment.
"My wife and I look forward to taking a step back over the coming weeks to celebrate the Christmas holiday with our children without the hype and intense publicity that these past few days have seen," McCarty wrote. "At this point, all we can do is trust that those with power to effect much-needed change at KCPD will find the courage and tenacity to do so."
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